Why men in black are fitter, faster... and better

Another new season, another series of refereeing controversies – or so it seems. The reality this time is a little different. Although there were some interesting cases for the new "select group" of 24 professional referees to study during their three-day meeting at a Daventry hotel last week, for once the incidents making the headlines bore no relation to new laws or directives issued during the summer.

The essential reason why the men in the middle made headlines as black as their shirts was a combination of having a high-profile team reduced to nine men in successive televised matches, in the same week as two quickly taken free-kicks exposed widespread ignorance about the issue among players, managers, spectators and – let it be said – the media.

A fortnight's break for inter-national matches and the first of the regular Daventry meetings have come at a useful time for all concerned. "There needs to be a settling-down period," said Gerald Ashby, who refereed at the highest levels from 1985 to 1998 (including the 1995 FA Cup final between Everton and Manchester United) and is now heavily involved as one of four former officials acting as coaches and advisers to the members of the select group, who earn up to £50,000 each a season.

Under his wing are Graham Poll, Paul Durkin, Steve Dunn, Phil Dowd, Alan Wiley, and Clive Wilkes, as well as a group of 12 assistant referees always appointed to the same game as one of those six, to improve teamwork. "The idea is to give support from our experience gained over the years," Ashby said. "We analyse their performances and try to support the guys when they've had bad performances or bad periods. So last week I went to the West Ham-Leeds game purely to see Paul Durkin.

"I'll talk to the referee afterwards, though not necessarily right after the game. Sometimes it's on the day, sometimes, if there's been a particular incident, it's better to leave it until the next day."

Waiting a day also gives the official an opportunity to have seen any particularly controversial decision again on television. Having reached the top himself just as the era of live televised matches and, consequently, minute analysis of refereeing decisions was starting, Ashby is well aware of the effect that such coverage can have.

Even aggrieved supporters might be surprised at how personally referees can take it: "If I made a mistake, I'd fret and be miserable for three or four days afterwards. The guys at the top don't want to make mistakes, but people shouldn't be naïve enough to expect referees to be perfect. I see some exceptionally good refereeing performances and they're taken for granted, but if there's one decision to argue about, the guy can come in for an awful lot of criticism. Players who make mistakes don't seem to suffer in quite the same way."

Now that referees on a healthy retainer and match fee can earn as much money as a lower-division footballer, there is understandable expectation that standards of consistency, if nothing else, will rise. Ashby believes that the greater preparation time, the get-togethers like last week's, improved fitness and the new coaching system can only help.

"In my day, even a few years ago, there was nothing like this," he said. "I'd meet with a large regional group every couple of months and you could hardly get a word in edgeways because there were so many of us. All of us had full-time jobs, so for a midweek match I might get up at seven o'clock, go to the office until lunchtime, drive to Newcastle or somewhere, be back at half-past two in the morning and have to be back at my desk at nine.

"Now, the select group are able to devote as much time as they want to preparation. Every fortnight they'll meet up to review performances and share experiences and information about particular teams. And the fitness checks are far more rigorous – you don't see any Roger Kirkpatricks any more."

Fitter, leaner and better prepared; unfortunately, pleasing all of the people all of the time will take a little longer to achieve.